Bloody Romance: I, the big troublemaker, Zhong Yuemin!

"It's nothing, I was just asking casually."

Li Yuanchao waved his hand casually.

“At the last hotel gathering, I saw you chatting with her at the door for quite a while.”

"Oh, this..."

Zhong Yuemin smiled.

“Yuanchao, Luo Yun and my wife Xiaobai were best friends before, you know that. They just chatted like women, nothing more.”

She paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and added, "However... she said quite a lot of bad things about you." Her tone was somewhat playful.

"Oh?" Li Yuanchao's eyes narrowed, but he maintained his smile. "What did they say about me?"

"It's nothing,"

Zhong Yuemin spoke in a relaxed tone.

"It means you started a relationship with her and then abandoned her, flirting with other women and then dumping her... things like that. Women, they're always the same old things."

Li Yuanchao visibly relaxed, shaking his head with a wry smile:

"My relationship with Luo Yun can't be explained in just a few words, Yuemin. We're both men, would you complain about having too many women?"

The two exchanged a glance and then laughed, their understanding unspoken.

After exchanging pleasantries for another ten minutes or so, Zhong Yuemin got up to take his leave. Li Yuanchao personally saw him to the building entrance, and as he parted, he shook his hand and said meaningfully:

"Yuemin, I hope we can let bygones be bygones. If you need any help in the future, just ask. I, Li Yuanchao, will never refuse. Let's... have a pleasant working relationship. What do you say?"

"It's a pleasure to work with you." Zhong Yuemin shook hands with him, his smile unchanged, and then turned to get into the car.

At this moment, behind a window in the Zhengrong Group building, Luo Yun, dressed in a business suit, stood quietly in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass, her gaze fixed on the car slowly driving away below and the figure of Li Yuanchao below. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and she seemed to be thinking about something.

-

-

On the way back, Liu Jing drove, Gao Yue sat in the passenger seat, and Zhong Yuemin leaned against the back seat alone.

Both girls were bursting with curiosity, and Gao Yue finally couldn't resist turning around and asking impatiently:

"President Zhong, what exactly does Li Yuanchao want from you?"

Although Liu Jing, who was driving, didn't say anything, she unconsciously raised her eyes and glanced at the rearview mirror.

"nothing,"

Zhong Yuemin spoke casually.

"He was using the guise of 'catching up' to probe the truth and see if I already knew about the deals he was doing in private."

"Then...did you tell him?" Gao Yue pressed.

"Am I stupid?"

Zhong Yuemin smiled.

"If he's acting, I'll just act along with him. Let him figure it out himself, the more he can't figure it out, the less he'll dare to act rashly."

He then said to Gao Yue:

"By the way, Xiao Gao, you don't need to work at Zhengrong anymore. Go back to our own company."

"Huh? Then...we're not going to do business with them anymore?" Gao Yue asked, somewhat puzzled.

"We'll continue doing business as usual."

Zhong Yuemin shook his head.

"We just don't need to be so 'intimate' anymore. Keeping some distance is better for everyone."

"I met Li Yuanchao today. Judging from his tone and expression, he's probably preparing for his retreat. Let's not get involved in this dangerous situation."

Liu Jing glanced at him in the rearview mirror:

"You mean... Li Yuanchao is going to run away? What do we need to do?"

“Very likely,” Zhong Yuemin said calmly. “We don’t need to do anything; we can just wait and see.”

-

-

On the other side, Li Yuanchao returned to his office, leaned wearily against the large executive chair, and closed his eyes to rest.

A pair of hands gently rested on his shoulders from behind, the pressure just right. Then, a soft mass pressed against the back of his head. Without even opening his eyes, he knew who it was. Instead, he instinctively leaned his head back, burying himself deeper into that warmth. The rich scent of perfume filled his nostrils.

He Mei spoke softly from behind, her voice gentle and charming:

"Mr. Li, how's it going? Does that Mr. Zhong... know about our behind-the-scenes dealings?"

Li Yuanchao shook his head slightly, sighed, and his tone carried a hint of barely perceptible irritation:

"This person... is no ordinary person. He just talked to someone for over an hour. I asked him indirectly several times, but he brushed me off each time. However... knowing him as I do, he must know."

He Mei kept her hands moving and lowered her voice even further:

"Then...why isn't he making a move? What is he waiting for?"

"money."

Li Yuanchao opened his eyes, turned his head and glanced at the woman.

"This is the only answer I can think of."

He Mei was silent for a moment, then said softly:

“Even so, it’s still not safe, Mr. Li. Someone has leverage over us, and they could turn on us at any time. We should make a clean break. Anyway, we’ve made enough money over the years, more than we could spend in several lifetimes. I think now is the most appropriate and safest time to withdraw. What do you think?”

Li Yuanchao slowly sat up straight, grabbed the slender hand on his shoulder, and pulled He Mei into his arms.

His large palm pressed against the woman's flat stomach, moving upwards and taking control of its softness.

He Mei gave a soft reminder, then nestled softly into the man's arms. Instead of flinching, she turned slightly to meet his movements.

"He Mei," Li Yuanchao said, his mind preoccupied with two things at once, looking down at the woman in a low voice, "you've been by my side for quite a while now, haven't you?"

"Mmm..." the woman responded softly.

"From the moment I joined Zhengrong,"

Li Yuanchao's gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if he were speaking to her, or perhaps talking to himself, or maybe he was simply enjoying himself.

"From an ordinary employee to where I am today, although I have family connections and support, I have also paid a heavy price myself."

He sighed, "To be honest... it's really hard to leave like this. What's that saying again? There's no place like home. I'm leaving my hometown to go to America..."

"I've made a lot of money over the years, but once I leave this position, it won't be so easy to make money like this again... like picking it up from the ground."

"Human nature is greedy. If you have money and power, and suddenly lose them... can you adapt?"

As he spoke, as if venting his anger, the hand he was playing with unconsciously increased its pressure. He Mei frowned slightly, and a low moan that sounded like both pain and pleasure escaped from her throat.

"Mr. Li..."

The woman's voice was soft and alluring, yet carried a hint of clarity.

"With your abilities, you can succeed anywhere. Your company in the US is doing very well, isn't it? I think... it's safer for you to leave as soon as possible."

Li Yuanchao was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:

Would you... come with me?

He Mei nodded gently without hesitation.